Jackie Robinson public and media reactionpj aiaga , maysen perez

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 to a family of sharecroppers. His mother raised him and four other children all alone. Growing up in a large single parent family Jackie excelled early in sports and learned to make his own way in life.

In 1945 Jackie played one season in the negro league traveling all over the Midwest with the Kansas City Monarchs. But higher achievements were in store for him in 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey approached Jackie about joining the Brooklyn Dodgers.

President Rickey of the dodgers faced hailstorm of critics as he announced that he would be signing Jackie Robinson to play for the dodgers. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play organized baseball in the white leagues. Recruited by Branch Rickey, the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers at the time, Robinson went on to become the first African American player to sign with their farm league.

Despite his skill, Robinson faced a barrage of insults and threats because of his race. He endured astonishing abuse amid national scrutiny from jeers and insults to bean-balls, hate mail, and death threats. The traditional white press was using the word "negro," in all of the articles that were published by them. You also have to keep in mind that this is where segregation and discrimination are practiced. although all these were stacked against Jackie he did not fight back and kept his word with president Rickey.

Robinson finally broke his emotional and political silence in 1949, being outspoken against racism. He criticized the slow pace of baseball integration and objected to the Jim Crow practices in the southern states.

This is an example of a poster that was meant to scare Jackie into not playing. he received lots of mail in this nature and even the public tried to stop him from playing for they did not believe a negro should play at their level of baseball.

Dixie Walker the suspected ringleader of Dodgers who opposed Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color line on April 15, 1947. He Sent a letter in 1947 to Branch Rickey, the club president, in which he asked to be traded, or of a player petition opposing Robinson’s joining the Dodgers that he was suspected of circulating. Dixie was not the only player among the team that didn't want Jackie joining the team but was one of the only ones to voice his opinion.

Jackie Robinson retired shortly after the trade, on January 5, 1957, with an impressive career batting average of .311. After baseball, Robinson became active in business and continued his work as an activist for social change. He died from heart problems and diabetes complications on October 24, 1972, in Stamford, Connecticut.